Tillerson: Rubio Accusing Me of Agreeing to Assad Staying Is ‘Regrettable’

DICKERSON: Senator Marco Rubio made a charge this week. He accused you of -- quote -- “nodding to the idea that Assad was going to get to stay in some capacity.”

And this was referring to your remarks about the Syrian people picking whether he could stay or go. And then Senator Rubio said it was no coincidence that then President Assad used chemical weapons.

What is your response to that?

TILLERSON: I think that is a regrettable comment on the part of Senator Rubio.

DICKERSON: And do you think there was nothing that the U.S. did in the statements either that you made or that the U.N. ambassador made saying that it was not a priority to get him out, that that had no effect on his thinking?

TILLERSON: This was -- John, this was a continuation of a series of chemical weapons attacks by Bashar al-Assad. This was not the first.

As you well know, there were two similar attacks in March, March the 25th, March the 30th, in Hama. So this was yet another instance of Bashar al-Assad’s continued violation of the chemical weapons agreements.